


Kitty Cat

by Fantasy_Addict



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bonding Moments, Cat Keith (Voltron), Cat/Human Hybrids, Cats, Collars, Confessions, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute Keith (Voltron), End, Established Relationship, First Dates, Fluff and Humor, Galra Keith (Voltron), Good news for Keith, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Siblings, Keith (Voltron) Has a Crush, Keith (Voltron) is So Done, Lance (Voltron) has a Crush, Lance Has Nightmares (Voltron), Lance Is A Furry (Voltron), Lance is a Tease (Voltron), M/M, Pidge is a gremlin, Purring Keith (Voltron), Recovery, Red approves, Rescue Missions, Secrets, Shopping, Sick Keith (Voltron), Sleepy Cuddles, Soft Lance (Voltron), Softness, birthday shenanigans, just a bit, minor character only, nothing graphic, soft bois, space mice - Freeform, tiny bit of vomit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-02-22 15:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 17,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22718290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasy_Addict/pseuds/Fantasy_Addict
Summary: Imagine.....Keith as a cat.(I can't help myself, cat Keith is adorable in my mind.)
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 105
Kudos: 441
Collections: TDQ_Voltron





	1. Chapter 1

How did I end up like this?

Keith asked himself this for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Earlier that day, he had been out on a mission with his fellow Paladins, when he suddenly found himself separated from the rest of the group.  
“Guys?” he called out. No answer. He surveyed his surroundings, taking note of the Galra complex he was in. It was abandoned, but that didn’t mean the traps were disabled. He carefully made his way around another corner. A door stood in front of him. He pressed it open, then stepped inside. It was a small room, a desk and chair pushed against one wall and an odd contraption in the center of the floor. The desk was covered with notes, a pen lying off to the side. Keith ignored them and turned instead to the contraption. It was almost as tall as him, about eye level high. It had a pointed end attached to a crane-like device. It almost reminded Keith of a giant drill.  
He examined the device more closely, finding a dial and a few buttons on one side. Something in the back of Keith’s mind told him to stop, but he ignored it. The contraption seemed mildly important. Besides, he wasn’t in it’s line of fire. Keith pressed a button. The machine shuddered, but nothing more. He turned the dial, pressed more buttons. Nothing. Frustrated, he stood in front of the machine again.  
“Piece of junk,” he muttered, tapping the pointed end. Suddenly, it glowed a soft blue. “Um….” Keith said, backing up. He tried to move to the side, but the end followed, as if on a target lock. “Uh oh,” he muttered as the machine whirred to life and filled the room with bright blue light. Keith shut his eyes against it. A warm feeling spread throughout his body. He felt itchy, but then as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Keith opened his eyes, and found himself staring up at the machine. He frowned. Up? The machine had been almost as tall as him, so why was it suddenly bigger?  
“Keith?” he heard Shiro’s voice come from his helmet, which Keith noticed was on the floor, bigger than he remembered. “Keith, where are you?”  
“I’m fine,” Keith said. Or, tried to say. The only sound he made was a low sound very much like a cat. Keith turned to the machine, staring at the metal surface. He nearly screamed at the sight. Staring back at him was a small, raven-black cat with purple eyes and pink nose. It had sleek fur along its body, but the fur around its head and neck was a bit fluffier, giving it a bit of a mane. The cat lifted a paw at the same time Keith tried to lift his hand, confirming his fears. Keith was a cat.  
“Keith!” Lance this time. “Keith, buddy, come in!” Keith panicked.  
“Guys!” he tried to say, a meow sounding instead. He ran to the door, but realized that he couldn’t reach the panel that unlocked the door. Keith then growled in annoyance, knowing what he had to do, but hating it. He took a deep breath and started meowing as loudly as he could, hoping the others would find him.  
“What is that?” he heard Pidge say through his helmet. “An animal?” Keith’s spirits lifted. He gave another meow, this one sounding a bit desperate. God, this is embarrassing, he thought. But there’s no other way they’ll find me if I don’t do something. Suddenly the door in front of him slid open.  
“Guys, I don’t-” Hunk had opened the door and looked around, before Keith ran up and head-butted him in the leg. Hunk looked down. “Uh, guys? I found a cat.” Keith sat back and narrowed his eyes at him. He then padded over to his helmet when Hunk didn’t seem to understand, and poked it with his paw. Keith must have flexed it when he did, because he saw tiny, but sharp, claws poke out. He tried not to panic again. He heard Hunk gasp.  
“Hunk, is Keith there too?” Pidge asked.  
“Uh, actually,” Hunk said, finally getting the big picture. “I think the cat I found is Keith.” At this point, Keith could hear footsteps from the hall. He sat down and watched as Lance, Shiro and Pidge joined Hunk in the room. They all just stared at him. Keith narrowed his eyes again and flicked his newfound tail in annoyance.  
“Keith?” Shiro asked. Keith meowed in response, still not able to use his voice properly and irritating him further. Pidge finally seemed to come to her senses, pulling more into the room and heading for the desk. Keith followed her, wanting to know what she was doing. He tried to jump up onto the chair, but realized he couldn’t, not without acting as a cat. Keith tried not to growl as he repositioned himself to pounce. This time, he landed gracefully on the chair, able to see the papers on the desk.  
“I can’t read the Galra,” she said, the others slowly starting to move towards her. “But I think this is some sort of experimental transforming device.”  
“Why would the Galra need that?” Lance asked. Pidge shrugged in response.  
“Is there a way to get Keith back?” Shiro asked. Keith felt a hopeful purr rise in his throat and immediately squashed it down before the others could hear it. He’d had enough embarrassment for one day, thanks.  
“Not sure,” Pidge said. “Although, it doesn’t appear permanent. From what I can tell, if the subject wasn’t turned back right away, the effects wore off after about two weeks to a phebe.” Keith gave a surprised squeak of a noise. A PHEBE? He screeched in his mind. A whole month of being stuck as a freaking cat. He couldn’t handle the thought and leaped at Shiro, who caught him in surprise.  
“Uh, maybe we shouldn’t mention when the effects will wear off again,” he muttered, hesitantly stroking the black cat. Pidge nodded and grabbed the papers from the desk.  
“We’re gonna have to tell Allura to come get the Red Lion and this device,” she said. “I have a feeling the device will be the better choice for getting Keith back to normal.” Shiro nodded.  
“I’ll get the device,” he said. “Lance, take Keith.”  
“Why me?” Lance asked, getting no response. Keith felt Shiro try to hand him to Lance. He flexed his claws out and dug them into the material on Shiro’s prosthetic arm, latching on.  
“Keith,” Shiro said, prying him off. Keith gave a small annoyed hiss as he was passed into Lance’s arms. Lance held him gingerly, as though he thought Keith would scratch him. Keith just gave him a glare and settled more against him, hoping the other boy would hold him tighter so he wouldn’t fall. Lance seemed to relax at that, and started to head out the door towards the Blue Lion.  
“Almost there, Mullet,” Lance said, as Keith continued to glare at him. Lance somehow found that more unnerving, now that Keith was a cat. It was like the glare was more intense because of it.  
They made it to Blue, who open their mouth for Lance to scramble inside. He bent down to let Keith hop to the floor, getting into his seat and started to pilot the Blue Lion away. The Lion lurched, causing Keith to try and sink his claws into the floor to stabilize himself. When he found no purchase, he scrambled over to Lance’s leg, latching on to his boot.  
“Keith, what are you-” he started, but stopped when Keith gave a cautious hiss. Lance then noticed his eyes were a bit wide. Perhaps the idea of flying in the Blue Lion without something to hold him down was a bit scary. But Lance didn’t understand why he decided to cling to him of all things. Lance instead sighed and proceeded to pilot Blue back to the Castle of Lions, where the other Paladins, Allura and Coran stood waiting. Hunk and Shiro were hauling the device that transformed Keith into the training deck.  
Lance went to stand up and meet the others, but Keith was still latched onto his leg.  
“Come on, Mullet,” he said. “Let go!” He gently shook his leg, but Keith hissed at him, tugging his paws. It seemed like his claws were stuck in the material of Lance’s boot and Keith couldn’t figure out how to let go. With a sigh, Lance bent down and carefully pried him off. Keith glared at him, but didn’t hiss again. As soon as he was free, he bounded out of the Blue Lion.  
“Your welcome!” Lance called after, annoyed. He proceeded to follow the hot-headed black cat out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing with Keith's struggles.

Keith was glad that no one was able to see him blush. This whole situation was extremely embarrassing, and frankly he was frustrated. He hadn’t meant to dig his claws that deeply into Lance’s boot, but he didn’t want to be thrown around the Blue Lion’s cockpit. At least Lance didn't try to throw him off before they landed.  
He raced over to Shiro, even though the Black Paladin had his hands full helping Hunk. Keith figured he was already embarrassed enough, so he jumped onto Shiro's leg, using his claws to climb his way up. Shiro stiffened as Keith climbed, and Keith realized he might have been digging his claws in a bit too hard. He let up, but pulled himself onto Shiro's shoulder, curling himself around his neck.  
"Uh, Keith?" Shiro asked. "You ok?" He moved again, slower Keith noticed, to put the machine down. Keith gave a small meow.  
"Of course he'd go to you," Lance said, coming up to them. Keith gave him his best glare, but remained silent.  
"Jealous, Lance?" Hunk asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. Lance punched him in the arm.  
"No!" he cried defensively. Pidge came up to them then.  
"He totally is," she said, a smirk on her face. Lance's face turned a light pink.  
"Fine!" he said, making Keith cock his head a bit. "I used to own a cat when I was younger and haven't held one since. So yeah, I'm a bit jealous." Keith felt a bit warm at that, though he didn't really know why. He let a small purr slip out. Everyone turned to him. Shiro reached up and gently pulled Keith down to his arms.  
"Keith, bud, I'd love to let you perch there," he said, holding him out to Lance. "But I've got to help move this into the training deck." Keith gave him a scowl as he was once again placed into Lance's arms, but he didn't hiss this time. Lance still held him gently, but at least didn't seem to think Keith was going to bite or scratch him.  
"I'm going to go with as well," Pidge said. "Gotta figure out how to get this machine working so we can turn you back sooner than a phebe." Keith nodded, noticing how Allura and Coran went with them, leaving him with Lance. Keith lifted his head a bit to look at Lance better. Lance looked uncertain as what to do.  
"Um," Lance said, one of his hands shifting slightly under Keith. "Can….can I pet you?" Keith's eyes went a bit wide at that, but the hopeful tone of Lance's voice had him giving a small nod to the Blue Paladin. Lance grinned and shifted Keith to one arm, petting him with the other. Against his will, Keith felt his eyes close slightly, leaning into the touch. Lance then started to scratch behind his ears and a long, loud purr erupted from his throat. Keith jerked in surprise and Lance's hand stilled. "What?" he asked, worried he had done something wrong. Keith squirmed a bit in his arm, until he got himself onto Lance's shoulder and wrapped around his neck. Lance let him perch, even through his claws dug in a little too deep for comfort.

Lance decided to head to the lounge. Keith wanted to hide in his room, but since Lance was currently his ride, he stayed. When they got there, Lance gently pried Keith from his shoulders, holding him out in front so Lance could see him.  
"You know," Lance said, looking Keith over with a smile. "You make a really cute cat." Keith glared at him and gave a light hiss. He was not cute, thanks very much. Humiliated is more like it. Lance just chuckled and plopped down on the couch, putting Keith on his lap. He absentmindedly stroked a hand down Keith's back. Keith tucked his legs beneath him and curled his tail around himself, forming a bit of a ball. A few minutes later, Lance's hand slowed. Keith looked at him. The Cuban boy was fast asleep, his hand still resting on Keith's back.  
"Lance," Keith tried to say, forgetting about his voice. A small meow sounded instead. Lance blinked open his eyes.  
"Oh, sorry," he yawned. He took his hand off of Keith's back. "It's been a long day, you know?" Keith slowly nodded. Suddenly, the door opened and the two turned to look. Shiro walked inside.  
"Hey," he greeted. Lance life's his hand in return.  
"Mrrow!" Keith meowed, hoping off of Lance and padding over to Shiro, who bent down to scratch his ears. Keith flicked them annoyed. He didn't want a repeat of earlier. Lance laughed.  
"He purred earlier when I did that," he told Shiro. Shiro tried to hide his own smirk while Keith scowled.  
"I bet," he said. Keith's tail twitched in warning. Shiro ignored him and continued. "He always liked to be scratched behind the ears. At least, that's what he told me back when I met him." At that Keith gave a loud hiss. Shiro frowned down at him. "Well it's true."  
"Wait," Lance said, standing up to walk over to them. "He likes to be scratched behind the ears even as a human?" Keith curled up into a ball, tucking his nose under his tail as though he could disappear behind it. Suddenly a hand descended onto his head, right between his ears. "Sorry, sorry," Lance said, ruffling Keith's fur a bit. "I don't mean to tease." Keith gave him a look but said nothing.  
"That reminds me," Shiro said, standing again. "Pidge, Hunk and Coran are working on the machine. Allura wants me to help her plan some stuff for the alliance. You okay to watch Keith for a bit longer?" Keith narrowed his eyes. Watch? He didn't need to be watched! He was still capable of looking after himself, thanks!  
"Sure," Lance said, scooping Keith back into his arms before the grumpy cat could retaliate. Keith noticed he held on very tight. He squirmed uncomfortably. "Mullet and I are good here." Shiro nodded and left again. Keith gave a small hiss to Lance, hoping the other boy would loosen his grip. Lance did the opposite, tightening his hold.  
"Mrrow!" Keith complained.  
"Yeah, no," Lance said, leaving the lounge and heading down the hallway where their rooms were. "You may be really soft and cuddly right now, and your threats to claw me are pretty real, but you smell man. Bad." Keith stopped struggling for a moment to process his words. He gave his paw a tentative sniff and recoiled. Yeah, he did smell. Probably because he hadn't showered since the morning before. Lance suddenly stopped in front of his room. Keith looked to his.  
"Mrrow?" Keith mewed in question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see you guys leaving kudos. Much appreciated! Feel free to leave your thoughts as well! :D
> 
> (Also, sorry about the odd cliffhanger. Didn't have a better place to end the chapter.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bath time!

"I have more products," Lance said casually, opening his door. He went to the bathroom and deposited Keith onto the floor. "Wait here for a moment." Lance eyed Keith warily, before shutting the door. Keith was confused at that. Why would Lance be worried? He shook his head and pounced up onto the countertop near the sink. A moment later, the door opened again.  
"Mrrow," Keith said, still hating how his voice wouldn't work properly. Lance set down a bunch of bottles, then filled the sink with water.  
"Okay," he said, once the sink was filled. He rolled up his jacket sleeves. "Mullet, you better not scratch me while I do this." Keith wasn't paying attention, as he curiously dipped a paw in the water. It came out wet (duh, his mind supplied) but with the fur it felt clumpy and heavy. Keith didn't like it. He shied away from the sink.  
"Mrrow," he mewed warily. Lance sighed.  
"I had a feeling," he muttered. "Look, it's either you let me give you a bath, or you'll have to lick yourself, which right now I'm pretty sure you don't want to do." Keith grimaced. No, he did not want to act like a cat anymore than he had to. He nodded at Lance, who took that as confirmation and gently picked up Keith and lowered him into the water. It pulled at the fur on his stomach, but Keith bit down the hiss that rose in his throat. It took conscious effort to keep his claws sheathed while Lance carefully washed him. He used a bunch of fruit smelling soaps, ones that reminded Keith of open-air markets. Finally, the torture that was a bath ended, Lance pulling him out and back onto the countertop. Lance chuckled.  
"Mrrow!" Keith complained, soaking wet, his fur clinging uncomfortably.  
"Sorry, hold on," he said, rubbing a towel around him. "You just looked kinda funny with your fur plastered down like that." Keith gave a small hiss under the towel. Lance dried him off, making his fur fluff up a bit. Keith instantly went to smooth it down, not caring if that meant licking it like a cat. He didn't want Lance to call him cute again. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a camera shutter, making him freeze mid-lick. Keith slowly looked towards Lance, who had his camera out.  
“Perfect blackmail material,” Lance teased, a small smirk forming. That’s when Keith pounced on him, claws out. He swiped at Lance’s hand, making him drop the camera. “Ow!” he yelled.  
“Hiss!” he hissed back. Lance cradled his hand, which had four small, bleeding lines on the back.  
“Dude!” he screeched at Keith. “Learn to take a freaking joke!” Keith’s tail swished argrily behind him. He knew he had probably overreacted, but he couldn’t help but feel justified in the moment. Keith narrowed his eyes, as if daring Lance to try that stunt again. Lance glared back, then finally gave an irritated huff. He stormed out of the room, probably to the medbay to get a bandage for his hand. Keith watched him leave, then decided to leave himself. However, after Lance walked out of the room, the door shut in Keith’s face. He scrambled back, to avoid getting caught in between. What the heck? Keith thought. Now how do I get out? He gave a hopeful mew, as if Lance hadn’t gone too far from the door yet. Nothing. He tried louder. Still nothing. Keith tried pouncing at the handpad, but even if he could land on it, he wasn’t human, so it still probably wouldn’t open.  
“Mrrow!” Keith cried out, getting desperate. He had no idea when Lance would be back and was pretty sure no one else knew where they had been. Keith started pacing next to the door. Lance had been gone for about 15 dobashes now. It really hadn’t been that long, but Keith was afraid that no one would come back for hours. He let out a frustrated growl. He hated being so weak and useless. Keith began meowing again, hoping someone was passing by and would hear him.  
Another 45 dobashes passed and Keith was getting antsy. He had been non-stop pacing and meowing, but nothing had happened yet. Finally, he stopped and hopped onto Lance’s bed. He had exhausted himself with all his worrying, meowing and pacing. He gave a few more hopeful mews before he could feel his eyes closing. Keith curled himself up by the pillow, noticing that Lance’s sent was very strong here. He took comfort in it, as though he wasn’t alone and stuck in Lance’s room. With that comforting thought, he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, poor Keith. I promise he's not gonna have to deal with this again.....maybe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance rescues Keith and Team Punk figure out what's going on with him.

Meanwhile, Lance did go get a bandage, but headed to the kitchen afterwards, completely unaware that Keith had been shut in his room. He found Hunk there already, rummaging through the fridge.  
“Hey!” he said, so as not to startle his best friend. Hunk looked up.  
“Hi!” he said. “What’s up?” Lance shrugged.  
“Got hungry, so here I am,” he said. Hunk nodded, pulling a few things out of the fridge. They were all alien foods, so Lance had no idea what any of them were. Hunk handed him a round object, which looked like an apple, felt like a pineapple, and was the color of a black grape. Lance took a bite and decided it tasted a bit like a strawberry and a kiwi together.  
“I’m still trying to figure out what I can make with those,” Hunk said, waving a hand towards Lance. “Got any ideas?”  
“Not a clue, my man,” Lance said, taking another bite. Hunk hummed in disappointment. Lance hopped up onto the counter, watching as Hunk made what Lance guessed was supposed to be a BLT. “Pidge and Coran make a breakthrough?” he asked a while later.  
“Nah, not yet,” Hunk said, not looking up from his alien sandwich making. “Allura and Shiro are discussing what we’re gonna do while we’re down a paladin.” Lance nodded, finishing off his weird alien fruit.  
“Well, I’m gonna go see where Mullet ran off to,” he said, stretching his arms above his head. Hunk nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich.  
“See ya,” he said. Lance left the kitchen and started roaming the halls, looking for the annoying black ball of fur.  
After about 10 more minutes of searching, Lance was at a loss. He’d looked everywhere, the training deck, the lounge, Keith’s room, back to the kitchen, even Red’s hanger. No sign of him. Lance sighed, giving up his search. Guess he’s still mad, he thought. Must be avoiding me. He walked back to his room, tiredly opening the door. He made his way over to his bed, then stopped. Asleep on his pillow was Keith, curled up into a tiny ball like he was trying to protect himself from something. A horrible realization dawned on Lance as he looked at the sleeping cat. Keith had been here the whole time. The door had locked on him after Lance had stormed out earlier.  
“Oh, Keith,” he whispered, feeling guilty for not even noticing how the door had shut behind him. The poor boy must have been frantic, not being able to open the door on his own. And with everyone busy around the castle, it was no wonder no one had noticed earlier. Lance brought the hand Keith had scratched to rub the back of his neck. He cautiously lowered his other to Keith’s small head, smoothing the fur down from the top of his head, to the base of his neck. Lance continued his soothing ministrations, until he heard soft purring from Keith. Lance paused, but didn’t completely stop, as the purring got louder. He didn’t know if Keith was waking up or not, but he didn’t really care either way. Keith’s fur was super soft and fluffy. Lance could pet him forever. I wonder if his hair felt the same, before he was turned into a cat, he idly mused.

Keith woke up to someone petting him. It was super soothing and made him want to fall back asleep, but he forced his eyes to inch open. He saw Lance kneeling next to the bed, looking at him with a mixture of guilt and fondness. Lance stopped his petting when he noticed Keith staring at him, still purring.  
“Keith!” he said, pulling his hand back. Keith narrowed his eyes in disappointment, but lifted his head.  
“Mew,” he responded. He wanted to be angry with Lance for leaving him trapped in the room alone, but he honestly just felt relieved that the other boy had come back. Lance looked away.  
“I didn’t even realize the door had locked behind me,” Lance said. “I’m so sorry Keith.” Lance hid his face slightly, trying not to let Keith see the guilty tears that fell from his eyes. Keith noticed any way. Alarmed, the raven-black cat stood and nuzzled his face into Lance’s chest, accepting his apology. He knew the other boy hadn’t purposely locked him in. Lance’s head jerked back to Keith when he was suddenly headbutted.  
“Mew!” Keith said, looking up at Lance with wide eyes. Lance wiped his tears.  
“Wow,” he said. “Even kitten Keith doesn’t really know what to do with a crying person.” Lance chuckled as he said this, while Keith gave a small huff. “But you’re definitely more affectionate.” Lance gave him a small smile, before ruffling the fur on Keith’s head. Keith headbutted Lance’s palm, his new substitute for giving him a playful shove. Lance chuckled again.  
“Lance!” Pidge yelled, suddenly appearing in the doorway. Lance looked over.  
“What’s up?” he asked.  
“Is Keith here?” she asked. Lance nodded. “I need to borrow him for a second.” Keith leaped from the bed and padded over to the girl, who picked him up under his front legs.  
“Mrrow!” he yelped.  
“Pidge!” Lance said, coming over to help her hold Keith correctly. Lance settled the startled cat into Pidge’s arms more securly. “You got hold him right or you’ll drop him.”  
“Oops,” Pidge said, adjusting her grip. “Sorry Keith.”  
“Mrrow,” he mewed passively. With that, Pidge turned to go down the hallway. Keith looked up at the girl, unspoken question reflecting in his eyes.  
“You’ll see,” Pidge said, interpreting his question correctly. Keith huffed at not being told where they were headed. Suddenly, they stood in front of the training deck doors. Pidge adjusted Keithin her arms, so she could open the doors. Keith dug his claws in a little more, mindful of keeping them away from Pidge’s skin. Inside, the machine that transformed Keith sat in the center of the room. Pidge set him down in front of it.  
“Pidge!” Hunk said, coming in from the open door. “You get Keith?”  
“Yup,” she said, adjusting the pointed end so that it was aimed right at Keith.  
“Mrrow?” he said, cautiously.  
“Don’t worry,” Pidge said. “I rewired it to just scan a person.” Keith still took a wary step back. Suddenly, a hand descended on his back, keeping him from running.  
“Sorry, buddy,” Hunk said, gently picking him up.  
“Mrrow!” Keith protested. Hunk held him (even as he thrashed) while pulling out a box from his portable workbench. He set Keith down in the box, which was just tall enough to keep Keith from jumping out again. Pidge adjusted the pointy end again, then hit a button. A green light swept over Keith, who tried to back away but failed due to the stupid walls of the box. The light shut off and Pidge frowned.  
“That’s not good,” she said.  
“What?” Hunk asked, coming to stand beside her at her computer.  
“That,” she said, pointing. Hunk frowned.  
“Oh,” he said, sounding disappointed. Keith tilted his head to the side in question, giving a small mew to get the two’s attention.  
“Oh, sorry Keith,” Pidge said. She brought the computer over to him, while Hunk picked him up and out of the box. “Here.” Keith peered at the screen, but didn’t know what he was looking at.  
“This is the scan we just took,” Hunk said. Keith rolled his eyes. He gathered that much! Hunk pointed to his brain. “Based on the scan, the activity levels in your brain are super high.”  
“Which is odd,” Pidge said. “But it could also be the result of the scan being set for a cat and you’re still human in mind.” Keith nodded, but was still lost.  
“Anyway,” Hunk continued. “Based on the activity in your brain, we have about two weeks before this either wears off or becomes permanent.” Keith gave a horrified squeak. Permanent?!  
“Don’t worry!” Pidge said, seeing Keith’s distress. “We can try to speed up the process of getting you back to normal. If we do that, there’s less of a chance it’ll be permanent.” Keith slowly nodded.  
“Yeah, no worries,” Hunk said with a smile, placing Keith on the floor again. Once set down, he scampered off back to Lance’s room. He briefly wondered why Shiro wasn’t his first choice, but didn’t dwell on the thought for long.  
“MRROW!” he said, loud and slightly panicked, as he stopped in front of Lance’s door. It promptly opened to reveal the Cuban teen.  
“Keith?” he asked as said cat immediately started to climb his leg. Lance pulled him off and settled Keith on his shoulder, who curled up tightly. “What happened?” Keith gave no answer, just hid his face and purred softly. Lance sighed, and made his way to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Keith. He really doesn't want to be a cat anymore. 😂


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've found a way to speed up the process! Unfortunately..... Keith's not gonna like the solution.

Keith remained on Lance’s shoulder, even as the other boy sat down to eat a bowl of space goo. Right at that moment, Keith’s stomach growled. Lance glanced at him.  
“Someone sounds hungry,” he said. Keith hopped down to the table as Lance stood up again. Keith tilted his head in confusion. Where is he going? Soon enough, Lance returned with a smaller bowl of goo.  
“Mrrow?” Keith asked. Lance shrugged.  
“All we’ve got is goo,” he said, digging into his own again. Keith continued to stare at his goo. He knew he was hungry, but something about the green stuff didn’t appeal to him. More than usual.Keith nosed it away. Lance noticed and pushed the bowl back. “Come on dude. You haven’t eaten since this morning and this is all we have.”  
“Mrrow!” Keith prosested, leaping off to the table and padding over to the kitchen counter. He jumped up on it and immediately noticed the weird fruits Hunk had Lance try earlier. He sniffed it, deciding it smelled like lemons. When he poked it, it made a hollow sound, like when you hit a watermelon to know if its fresh. Keith decided to try it.  
“Oh, yeah I forgot about those,” Lance said, coming to stand next to Keith. “They’re pretty good. Hunk let me try one earlier.” Keith bit into one. Lance was right, it wasn’t bad. And more importantly, he preferred it over the space goo. Keith devoured three of them, Lance softly chuckling as he watched the feisty cat eat.  
“Hey!” Hunk’s voice sounded from the doorway. “Glad you guys like the fruit.” Lance greeted his best friend, while Keith ignored him in favor of eating another fruit.  
“What’s that?” Lance asked, pointing to something clutched in Hunk’s hand, who promptly hid it behind his back. Keith didn’t notice however, still engrossed with the fruit.  
“Pidge and I think we found a way to speed up the transformation process for Keith,” he whispered, eyeing the raven furred cat warily. Lance raised an eyebrow.  
“Isn’t that good?” he whispered back. Hunk showed him what he was holding, making sure to keep it from Keith’s line of sight.  
“Well,” he said. “It is. But he needs to take this injection four times a day.” Lance stared at the syringe Hunk was holding, the barrel filled with a swirling green mixture.  
“Four times?!” he said, a little too loudly. Keith looked over at them.  
“Mew?” he said in question. Lance gave a sheepish smile, while Hunk scowled and quickly hid the syringe again.  
“Nothing,” Hunk said. “Did you like the fruit?” Keith nodded, still confused. What was Hunk hiding from him? He hopped off the counted and walked over to him.  
“You want me to hold him?” Lance whispered to Hunk, who nodded discreetly. Lance nodded back, then swooped down and picked Keith up, setting him back on the counter.  
“Mrrow!” Keith mewed in surprise. Lance pinned him down, so he couldn’t move much. He managed to squirm a bit, but not much more than that. Hunk brought the syringe out again. Keith’s eyes widened. He squirmed harder.  
“Sorry buddy,” Hunk said sincerely. He gently pinched the scruff at Keith’s neck and stuck the needle in, the green liquid emptying from the barrel.  
“Hunk said you gotta have these shots four times a day to speed up the process,” Lance explained once Hunk pulled the needle away. He let go of the pissed off cat.  
“Pidge and I can try to get that number cut in half,” Hunk said. “But this is faster.”  
“So if that was one,” Lance said, turning back to Hunk. “How many more does he have today?”  
“Just one,” Hunk said. “It’s after lunch, so he only needs one more tonight. Then one tomorrow morning, one before lunch, and so on. Just until some kind of change happens.” Lance nodded, while Keith hissed lightly. He was miffed that he had to get four shots a day just to get out of this nightmare. Suddenly, Lance snapped his fingers.  
“Hey, do you have….” he trailed off into a whisper to Hunk, leaving Keith in the dark once more. Keith glared at Lance, not really trusting him after the other boy had pinned him down for that injection. Hunk nodded.  
“Go for it,” he said.  
“Great!” Lance said, reaching for Keith. He backed away from Lance’s arms. Lance pouted. “Oh, come on cariño.” Keith cocked his head, not entirely sure what the Spanish meant. Lance took advantage of the moment to scoop him up again. Keith just huffed. Lance said a quick goodbye to Hunk, then headed down to the Yellow Lion’s hanger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, I just love giving Keith a hard time, don't I? Well, hopefully I write some more fluff for him. I'm almost at the end of my pre-written stuff, so you'll have to bear with me as I write the rest! (Suggestions for fluff are welcome and I'm sure Keith would appreciate it.😂)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, SUPER short chapter, but hey. Keith gets a new accessory.

Keith squinted at Lance in suspicion. What on Earth, or space, could Lance possibly need? Lance practically ran through the hanger doors, Keith nearly falling in the Cuban boy’s excitement. Lance deposited him on a table and started rummaging through Hunk’s toolkit.  
“Ah-ha!” he said. He pulled out a few strips of red leather, some small gold ball things, and a gold metal buckle. He pulled out a few other tools, then sat down and started fiddling with everything. Keith watched curiously as Lance’s hands practically flew around their project.  
“Mew?” he hesitantly asked after a few silent minutes. Lance looked up and smiled at him.  
“Hold on,” he said. A few more minutes passed, then suddenly, Lance had his hands around Keith’s throat. Keith panicked for a moment, before he realized Lance was putting something on him. Lance adjusted the object, then drew back. He fished his phone out of his pocket turning the camera on, and used it as a mirror so Keith could see what he put on him. Keith blanched. It was a collar. A red leather collar, complete with a tiny gold bell that jingled whenever Keith moved. He looked up at Lance, equal parts shocked and betrayed. Lance smirked.  
“I know, I amazed myself with my craft skills,” he joked. Keith gave him a small frown. Lance laughed. “Look, I have a feeling you’re going to try and bolt the minute it’s time for any of your shots. This way, I’ll be able to find you easier.” Keith gave him a light hiss. Lance just laughed again. “Oh shush.” Keith flexed a paw, bringing his claws out. He held them up to the collar, when suddenly Lance pulled his paw away.  
“Mrrow!” Keith said angrily.  
“Nuh uh,” Lance retorted. “You take it off and I’ll pick you up and carry you everywhere, even if you scratch me.” Keith pouted, but relaxed in Lance’s hold, who promptly let him go. Keith sheathed his claws and brought his paw back up to the collar so he could scratch at his neck. The bell jingled as he did so, which pulled an irritated mew from him. Lance just snickered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please help me think of more fluffy cat Keith scenes! I'd love the suggestions!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought of another fluffy scene and I just had to write it down before I forgot. Another short chapter, but Shiro finds a laser-pointer......

Later, Keith and Lance were found playing “hide-n-seek” in the lounge. Basically, it was just Keith trying to be stealthy with the stupid collar on and Lance winning.  
“Gotcha!” Lance shouted, snatching Keith up from behind the couch, just as Shiro walked in.  
“What are you two up to?” He asked.  
“Mrrow,” Keith mewed in annoyance. Lance chuckled.  
“He wanted to see if he could be stealthy with the new collar I made him,” Lance explained.  
“Collar?” Shiro asked. Lance held Keith up so Shiro could see, while he explained the shots Keith needed.  
“So this will make him easier to find if he runs off,” Lance said. Shiro reached over and poked at the bell, to which Keith swatted his hand away with a huff. He squirmed to get down. Lance set him on the floor and made to leave the room, but Shiro scooped him up.  
“Mrrow!” Keith said, surprised.  
“Let me have this,” he said quietly, leaving the room with Keith still in his arms. Keith gave a small hiss. He didn’t really want to be carried right now. “Oh hush.” Shiro was unfazed by the hiss. Keith scowled but didn’t hiss again as Shiro carried him to the training deck.  
“Mrrow?” Keith mewed in question. Shiro then bent down and let Keith hop to the floor.  
“I found something you might like,” he said, walking across the room to a panel on the opposite wall. Keith followed behind him, curious. He tried not to think about that old saying, ‘Curiosity killed the cat’, although if this did kill him, he hoped the second part ‘And satisfaction brought it back’ would take place. He watched as Shiro opened the panel and pulled out a small, thin rod. Shiro pointed it at the ground just in front of Keith. Keith looked down and suddenly, a small purple dot appeared by his left paw. It then moved towards his right paw. Keith felt the need to stop it.  
“MRROW!” He said, pouncing. He landed on the dot, which disappeared under his paws. He lifted them, to see his victory, but the dot was gone. Then, Keith saw it reappear on his left, a few feet away. Keith turned towards it, readying to pounce again.  
Shiro tried not to giggle and give himself away, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. While rummaging around for things to help Keith deal with his new form, he stumbled across an Altean laser-pointer. It was surprising a lot like an Earth one, just smaller and with a purple beam instead of a red one.  
Shiro kept moving the little dot around the room, watching as Keith tried to “capture” it. Shiro was seriously close to giggling now, especially when Keith tried to climb a wall to get the dot. Normally, he wouldn’t tease his brother this way, but Shiro had wanted to see how Keith would react to the toy and decided the risk of an angry cat was worth it to find out. He was not disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so happy to see all the kudos on this work. Honestly, it makes my day. Comment any more fluffy scenes if you think of any! I’ll do my best to write more in the mean time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the fluff
> 
> * I cant believe I forgot to thank the person responsible for suggesting this idea! That would be NIGHTFURY, who left a lovely comment about cats purring making them sleepy. Hope this was satisfying! *

Eventually, Keith exhausted himself running after the purple dot. At some point, he realized what was happening, but kept it up to see Shiro smiling and laughing. The man needed to laugh more often, and if seeing Keith make a fool of himself did that….well, who was Keith to say no? Shiro picked up the tired kitten.  
"Let's go see what everyone else is up to," he said, wandering out of the room towards the kitchen. He found Hunk, Pidge and Lance sitting at the table chatting.  
"Just in time!" Pidge said, spotting them in the doorway. Keith stiffened when she held up another syringe.  
"Mrrow!" Keith said, trying to wiggle out of Shiro's grip.  
"Sorry buddy," Shiro said. "Pidge already told me about the shots." He held Keith more firmly as Pidge approached and gave Keith the shot. Keith gave the two a light hiss and squirmed again. Shiro set him on the floor. He padded over to Lance and hopped up onto his knee, ignoring the way the stupid bell jingled as he did. He curled up in Lance's lap, which he deemed the warmest.  
"Aww," he heard Lance coo. Fingers were suddenly in his fur, brushing over his spine. Keith let out a quiet pur, too tired to care if it was embarrassing. "I think Mullet and I are gonna take a nap," Lance said, yawning at the end. He carefully picked Keith up and walked out of the kitchen. They entered Lance's room, where he pulled a pillow to the ground and set Keith on top. Lance then climbed into bed and promptly fell asleep, snoring lightly.  
"Mew?" Keith said. He didn't understand why Lance put him on this pillow. When he got no response, he simply climbed up and settled on Lance's stomach. The boy didn't wake, but he unconsciously wrapped his arms around Keith. Keith let out another purr and fell asleep.  
  
Lance gasped as he opened his eyes. Just another nightmare, he thought, shutting his eyes again. Suddenly, those eyes flew open once more.  
"What the….?" he looked down at his stomach to see his arms curled around Keith, who was sound asleep on top of him. Lance smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, the cat on stomach thing actually happened to me. My friend's cat did that when I slept over once and I had the same reaction as Lance.😂 I was just super confused. (And I know it's a short chapter, but the fluff could not wait.😁)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets a crash course in being a cat.....sorta.😂
> 
> (I’m sorry my chapters seem to be getting shorter and shorter. I’ll try and make the next one longer!)

Keith opened his eyes to find Lance smiling fondly at him. Keith yawned and stretched, before suddenly feeling the urge to knead his claws in Lance’s shirt.  
“Ouch, hey!” Lance said, pulling Keith’s claws away from him.  
“Mew?” Keith said, not upset that Lance stopped him, simply confused as to what caused the urge in the first place. Lance chuckled.  
“Giving in to some cat tendencies I see,” he said. Keith cocked his head at that, still confused. Lance frowned. “Have you never seen a cat before?” Keith gave a light hiss. Of course he had seen a cat, but he’d never owned one himself, or even got close enough to one to know how it acted. Lance shifted, sitting up and pushing Keith into his lap.  
“Mrrow,” Keith said as he fell sideways a bit.  
“I think you need a crash course in catism,” Lance said, standing. Keith barely managed to jump to the floor first, rolling his eyes at Lance’s misuse of the English language. Lance walked over to his closet, pulling out something from the far corner. “Aha!” He came back out holding a light yellow ball of yarn. “Cats like to chase things, believe it or not. And since I don’t foresee you training anytime soon, you might as well try this. Keith stared at the yarn ball, clearly disinterested. But Lance rolled it past him anyway. Keith simply watched it go, then looked back at Lance.  
“Mew?” He asked. Lance huffed.  
“Come on,” he said, retrieving the yarn. “My old cat loved doing this.” He tried again, with similar results. Suddenly, Keith spotted something near the door of the room. One of the space mice, the larger one, stood in the doorway. Keith turned towards it, lowering into a crouch. The mouse squeaked and ran off. Keith pounced up and raced after it. “Hey!” Lance yelled after him. Keith ignore him, too focused on the mouse. He raced through the halls, keeping the mouse in his sights. Suddenly, something grabbed his by the scruff on his neck, effectively stopping him.  
“Mrrow!” He complained. He twisted around to see Allura glaring down at him. He shrunk in on himself a bit. Lance finally caught up at that moment, gasping for breath.  
“Dude!” He wheezed. “You....can’t run....off....like that.” Allura still held him back.  
“Why, exactly, were you chasing the mice, Keith?” Allura asked. Keith felt like he was being scolded, but he was just as confused so he didn’t think it was fair.  
“Cats are basically predators,” Lance offered. “He’s probably got a couple of cat hunting instincts right now.”  
“I see,” Allura said, releasing Keith. Keith then noticed a panel in the wall wiggled a bit. He watched as the mouse from before poked its head out. Keith ran at it, but before he could catch it, the mouse withdrew and Keith smacked his face into the wall. He heard Lance laughing behind him and Allura sigh.  
“I wish I’d had a camera!” Lance said. Keith gave him another light hiss, shaking his head a bit after hitting it. Those walls were harder than they looked. He’d smacked his elbow on a few corner before, but man did that HURT. Lance finally stopped laughing, but Keith noticed that the fond smile returned. The team certainly smiled more, now that Keith’s cat antics occurred. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It dawned (heh dawn....it’s currently 1:46 am and I can’t sleep) on me that Keith probably doesn’t get some of his new....urges, let’s say. So I figured I’d have a fluffy scene of him “learning“ to be a cat.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For our wonderful Black Paladin and lovable Space Dad, I give you this chapter of birthday shenanigans. Happy Birthday Shiro!🖤

Once Keith woke up from another nap, he denied having cuddled with Lance again. Instead, he spent the rest of the day with Shiro. That’s when Keith realized something.  
“Keith?” Shiro asked, as said cat hopped up on to his knee. Keith nudged his nose against Shiro’s wrist, looking down at the watch Coran gave him. Shiro liked to know when it was day and night, since space didn’t exactly change much.  
“Mew!” Keith said, looking back up at Shiro. Shiro glanced at his watch.  
“Oh,” he said. “It’s Leap Year….” He could have sworn Keith was smirking. The cat in question jumped off Shiro’s knee and bolted from the room. “Keith! Get back here!” Keith raced into the kitchen, where the other Paladins were hanging out.  
“Whoa, Keith!” Pidge said. “Where’s the fire?”  
“Mrrow!” Keith said, biting the laces on the girl’s shoes and tugging.  
“Hey!” She yelled.  
“MRROW!” Keith insisted.  
“I think he wants you to follow him,” Lance said. Keith nodded.  
“Lead the way, I guess,” Pidge said. Keith bounded out of the room, only to run into Shiro.  
“Aha!” Shiro said, leaning down to catch him. Keith dodged and raced down the hallway, Shiro stumbling as he missed. Pidge, Lance, and Hunk came around the corner at that moment.  
“Shiro, are you okay?” Hunk asked.  
“Yeah,” Shiro said, staring after Keith. Keith gave a playful hiss, darting into the lounge, where he knew a calendar was.  
“Don’t you dare!” Shiro yelled, racing after the cat. Hunk and Lance exchanged a confused look while Pidge cackled.  
“Oh my God!” Pidge gasped. “I figured out what Keith wanted to show us!”  
“What?” Lance asked.  
“Come on!” Pidge said instead, running after their leader. Hunk shrugged and followed, Lance close behind. When they got to the lounge, they found Keith and Shiro playing tug-of-war with the calendar.  
“Keith, let go!” Shiro said, a bit of desperation in his voice. Keith gave a muffled meow. Pidge cackled again.  
“Someone care to explain?” Lance asked. At that moment, Keith let go of the calendar and Shiro landed on his butt. Pidge had stopped laughing, but had a smirk on their face.  
“Allow me,” she said, holding out a hand. She helped Shiro up, then snatched the calendar from his hands. Shiro tried to grab it back but Pidge side-stepped him.  
“Not you too!” Shiro protested. Keith made a noise, almost like he was laughing.  
“Seriously, what is happening?” Hunk asked. Pidge flipped open the calendar.  
“It’s February 29th,” she said. “It’s Leap Year….and Shiro’s birthday.” The whole room paused at that. Then several things happened. Lance and Pidge started laughing, Hunk gasped, and Shiro groaned.  
“Wait, so that means,” Lance said, once his laughter died down a bit. “You’re only seven years old!”  
“OMG, we need to celebrate,” Hunk said. “I’m making you a cake and you can’t stop me.” With that, he left, presumably to start making said cake.  
“Guys, please,” Shiro groaned. He hid his face in his hands. Keith padded over to him and head butted his leg, a small attempt to cheer him up. Shiro glanced down. The cat still looked smug.  
“Dude, it’s your birthday,” Lance said. “We don’t really care how old you are, you’ll still be our Space Dad.” Shiro frowned.  
“I don’t know whether to be touched by that sentiment or offended that I’m now your ‘Space Dad’,” he said. Lance cracked up again.

Later, Hunk revealed a birthday cake in the shape of the Black Lion and the younger Paladins all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ really off-key. Shiro loved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was kinda short, but Shiro turns 7 today and I needed to do something special for our boy.🖤


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance and some bonding time.....and progress for Team Punk!

Keith got eight more shots (and hated every one of them) before any change was noticed.  
“Does he seem,” Lance said. “Bigger?” The Paladins were all in the kitchen, everyone turning to look at Keith. He shrunk under the sudden attention.  
“Maybe?” Pidge said. “I mean, he can’t sit on shoulders anymore, so he’s grown a bit.”  
“At least the serum is working to speed up the process,” Hunk said.  
“How’s that coming, by the way?” Shiro asked.  
“Hunk and I are still trying to figure out the properties of that beam,” Pidge said. “Hope to crack it by tonight.”  
“Great,” Shiro said. “Because I don’t know how much longer we can evade the Galra.”  
“Yeah, it’s a miracle they haven’t attacked yet,” Lance said. He leaned over the counter, knocking on the wooden cutting board, something Hunk had picked up while ago on some random planet. Keith padded over and sat by his feet. The past few days, he and Lance had been getting to know one another better. Keith learned that Lance’s confidence was a front and his annoying attitude was a distraction for the team when they were stressed.  
“Mew,” Keith said, gaining the other boy’s attention. Lance picked him up, settling him comfortably in his arms and idly scratching behind Keith’s ears. Keith let himself purr quietly. He could tell Lance was just as stressed as the others, but he’d never show it. Probably try to hide behind a joke.  
“We’ll be prepared if they do though,” Shiro said, ever the leader. “Being down a Paladin won’t stop us.” Hunk and Pidge visibly relaxed at that, but Lance’s ear-scratching turned into a head-petting. Keith knew he was still worried. He nudged his head into Lance’s palm, his signal that they could leave. Lance muttered some excuse to the others and carried Keith back to his room. Keith had spent more time here than his own room….mainly because he didn’t want to deal with doors on his own.  
“Sorry,” Lance said, setting Keith on the floor. He flopped onto the bed, where Keith proceeded to hop up onto his stomach, curling up. They would lay like this often, Keith purring as well. Lance would idly pet Keith and they’d just sit in silence, or Lance would ramble. Either way, they both drew comfort from it.  
"Mew?" Keith asked, wondering if Lance wanted to talk. Lance sighed.  
"I just…." he trailed off, thinking. Keith let himself purr a bit louder in encouragement. "I worry about being down a Paladin. Which is not entirely your fault." He added that last bit when Keith let his claws sink into his stomach a bit. "And I worry about when you'll be back to normal." At this, Keith paused, purr almost stopping. Lance was worried about him? His heart melted for this boy. Whoa wait, Keith thought. When did I suddenly feel this way about Lance? Lance sighed again, fingers twirling around Keith's fur. Keith stood and resettled himself on Lance's chest, right under his chin.  
“Mrrow,” Keith said, the meow slightly distorted, since he was still purring.  
“Ugh, Keith!” Lance said, smiling. “Your fur is in my mouth!” Keith smirked and moved to sit right on Lance’s face. Lance gave an indignant squawk and shoved Keith onto the pillow, laughing.  
“Mew,” Keith said, satisfied that Lance was happy again. He had realized the past couple of days that Lance got very sad, more often than he let on. Keith was determined to keep Lance happy. He didn’t know where these protective and caring feelings came from, but Keith honestly didn’t care anymore. And while he’d never admit it, Lance was the best cuddler and Keith took full advantage of that fact.  
“Thanks,” Lance said, once he had calmed down. Keith curled himself up by Lance’s shoulder, his acknowledgement of the thanks. Lance reached a hand up and gave him a final scratch. “Goodnight, Mullet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D'aw, these two!! So caring. Anyone else want to comment a fluffy scene? I'd love the ideas!💕


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had a thought and it couldn't wait.
> 
> Keith has to deal with some alien pollen.

The next day, after Keith's morning shot, the alarms in the Castle started blaring.  
"Paladins!" Allura called over the intercom. "There is a distress signal on the nearby planet, Magnoo." Lance carried Keith with, because even though he couldn't fly Red, he could still be informed.  
"Is it Galra?" Shiro asked.  
"No," Allura said. "There seems to be a problem with the planet's foliage. It became sentient after some Galra came and messed with the planet's quintessence."  
"So, partial Galra," Pidge supplied. Allura shrugged.  
"They simply need help containing and/or destroying the plants."  
"Seems easy enough," Hunk said. Lance set Keith on the floor, who let out an irritated huff.  
"Don't worry cariño," Lance said. "We'll be back before you know it!" With that, he raced down to Blue's hanger. Keith went to sit by Allura's feet as he waited for the others to return.  
After a half hour, the Paladins returned covered in bright orange pollen.  
"Ugh, this stuff is EVERYWHERE," Lance complained. He started to dust himself off, right onto Keith.  
"Mrrow!" Keith protested, shaking his fur off.  
"Oops, sorry Keith," Lance said.  
"Go decontaminate yourselves," Allura said. "While the pollen should be safe, one can never be too careful." Keith sneezed at that moment, pollen getting in his nose. He proceeded to lick his fur clean, seeing as only the little bit of pollen Lance brushed on him was there. He padded to the kitchen to wait for the others.  
Ten minutes later and they were all sitting at the table, but Keith felt off. His neck under his collar felt itchier than usual, sneezing every so often, and his stomach was turning.  
"You okay, Keith?" Shiro asked, looking over at the cat in concern. He was curled up in a ball on the table, reaching a paw up to scratch at his collar every once in awhile or to sneeze an adorable kitten sneeze. But as cute as the sneezing was, it seemed like Keith was miserable. Keith lifted his head and shook it.  
"Mew," he said weakly. Lance looked over then, right as Keith suddenly sat up and started to heave.  
"Quiznack!" Lance said quickly pulling Keith off the table and onto the floor, right as Keith's stomach emptied itself.  
"What happened?" Hunk asked, coming around the other side of the table. "Holy crow, I'll get some cleaning stuff." He dashed out of the room. Pidge ran around as well.  
"Did he eat something?" she asked. Lance shrugged.  
"I don't-" Lance stopped himself. "Wait! My old cat used to get sick if he ran through mamá's garden too often. It was the pollen." Keith was still retching during Lance's realization, but finally stopped. Shiro took this as his cue to pick him up and race him down to the infirmary. Hunk and Allura were already there, Lance and Pidge close behind.  
"I'll scan him and see what's wrong," Allura said. A few ticks passed and then Allura frowned.  
"The pollen seems to be causing an allergic reaction in Keith," she said. "A bit of medicine and he should be fine in a day or two." The whole team sighed in relief.  
"Geez, Mullet!" Lance said. He ran his hand through Keith's fur gently. "Don't scare us like that cariño." Keith gave a half-hearted hiss, but pushed his head into Lance's ministrations and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be all about Keith's recovery, which I am excited about. Don't want to make our boy struggle too much.😉


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith begins to recover.

Keith got his medicine (not another shot, thank goodness) and spent the day cuddling with Lance in the lounge. The other Paladins were decontaminating the castle.  
"Mew," Keith said, snuggling further into Lance's lap.  
"Need something, cariño?" Lance asked, brushing his fingers through the soft fur. Keith let out a sneeze and shook his head. He just felt horrible, but at least he wasn't nauseous anymore. Lance continued to twirl his fingers in Keith's fur. Keith tried to get some more sleep, but a constant itch under his collar kept him from drifting off. Keith shifted a bit, trying to scratch under his collar, but he couldn't.  
"Mrrow," he said in frustration. Lance paused his mindless petting.  
"What's wrong?" he asked. Keith scratched at the collar again. "Oh, you have an itch?" Keith nodded. Lance removed the collar (which under normal circumstances was actually sorta comfy, not that he'd ever admit that) and scratched his fingers over Keith's neck. Keith melted, purring a bit. Lance was scratching it just right and it was like Heaven on Earth….or well, Heaven in space. "Right there, huh?" Lance asked. Keith could hear the fond smile in his voice.  
"Mrrow," Keith purred. Lance chuckled above him.  
"Well, glad I could help," he said. He watched as Keith's eyes closed in happiness. He looked so peaceful right now, even though Lance knew he was feeling pretty yucky at the moment. Whatever medicine Allura gave him early really did seem to help though. Lance then heard the lounge doors open.  
"How is he?" Shiro asked, walking in.  
"Good right now," he said. He noticed that Keith had finally fallen asleep, so he switched from scratching him to twirling his fur around his fingers again.  
"He seems to be better," Shiro said. Keith gave an adorable little yawn, but thankfully didn't wake up.  
"I feel bad though," Lance said. "I brushed some of the pollen right onto him."  
"It's not your fault," Shiro said, coming to sit beside him on the couch. "Even if we had decontaminated beforehand he still could have gotten sick." Lance nodded, still twirling his fingers. Shiro patted his shoulder. "He'll be fine."  
"Yeah," Lance said. Then he checked the time. "Ugh, Mullet better not hate me for this. He needs another shot."  
"I'll do it," Shiro said, carefully taking Keith from Lance. "Rather have him hate me for a few days than you." Lance laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I needed a bit of recovery fluff, because this morning I had a cyst removed from my shoulder and EPIC OUCH. Not a fun morning, but now I get ice cream and a movie, so. 🤷😂


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations and growth spurts

Keith was definitely bigger the next day. He was roughly the size of a panther now.  
“Wow,” pidge said, walking into the lounge where Lance and Keith were hanging out.  
“That’s some growth spurt.” Keith gave a low growl, like he’d already heard that joke. Lance laughed.  
“That’s what Shiro said earlier when he saw him,” he said, reaching over to ruffle Keith’s fur. A bold move, considering Keith could now bite his hand off if he so desired. Instead, the grumpy cat just stood up from his spot on the floor, dislodging Lance’s hand. He then proceeded to hop onto the couch and flatten Lance underneath him.  
“Mrrow,” Keith said, triumphantly. Pidge snorted, while Lance muttered, “Oof!”  
“How did he even grow this much overnight?” Pidge mused. Keith raised his head and shook it, as if to say, “I have no idea either.” Lance squirmed underneath him.  
“Hey, man, let me up,” he whined. Keith scooted himself farther up, so he was nearly on top of Lance’s face. “Hey!” Keith huffed in amusement, then finally relented and rolled off to the side, freeing Lance. Keith padded over to Pidge, who gave him a quick ear scratch.  
“Mind if I run some tests, Keith?” she asked. Keith gave a wary growl. He got enough shots nowadays, thanks. He did not like the idea of being poked anymore than necessary. Pidge sighed. “I’ll see if I can look around and find whatever caused the acceleration.”  
“Wait,” Lance said, coming to stand by them. “You mean this wasn’t the serum’s work?” Pidge waved her hand in a so-so gesture.  
“Yes and no,” she said. “The serum was designed to reverse the effects at a slower rate. Hunk and I couldn’t develop it to work any faster than the pace it had been going at. So my guess is something accelerated the process the serum started.”  
“Did you include the fact that Keith’s half-Galra?” Lance asked. Pidge made a face at him.  
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” she snapped. “Of course I did.” Lance held his hands up in surrender.  
“Sorry,” he said. “Just exploring options.” Pidge sniffed, her version of accepting his apology.  
“I’ll go find Hunk and see if we can figure it out,” she said. She glanced down at Keith. “You feeling better from yesterday?”  
“Mrrow,” Keith said, which Pidge could not interpret. She took it as a yes. Pidge then left to go track down Hunk. Lance returned to lounging on the couch.  
“I’ll be nice to have an actual conversation with you again,” Lance said. Keith nodded. He was getting a bit tired of being a cat, to be honest. He scratched his neck, free of the collar, as he’d outgrown it overnight. “Hey, Keith?” Keith turned towards Lance fully.  
“Mrrow?” he asked. Lance opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He shook his head.  
“Nothing,” he said. “Never mind.” Keith frowned, then butted his head against Lance’s knee, urging him to continue. Lance smiled.  
“I’ll tell you after you’re human again,” he promised. Keith huffed, but decided that was a fair compromise. He climbed onto the couch again, curling up next to Lance, his head in the other boy’s lap. Lance’s fingers instantly started to card through his fur. Keith let out a pleased pur. Lance chuckled. “It’s weird to feel you purring against my knee.” Keith gave a sleepy huff, too tired to react further. What he personally found weird was how easily Lance could lull him into this sleepy state. Not even Shiro could manage too. Keith continued to purr as Lance kept carding his fingers.  
Lance watched as Keith fell asleep. He seemed to be sleeping a lot lately. Perhaps it was the serum. Lance made a mental note to ask Pidge about it later. He continued petting Keith, the motions soothing for the both of them. These past few days had been the most peaceful time for both himself and Keith. Sure, the Galra were still a threat, and they were down a lion. But with all the time Lance had spent in the Mullet’s company, he found that he wasn’t worried about any of that. Keith made Lance feel….happy.  
That though hit him like a truck. When did that happen? I mean, he was gonna tell Keith that he missed seeing him human, but when did these….feelings, happen?! Lance stared at the cat curled up in his lap. He started imagining Keith, human Keith, curled up like this, with Lance running his fingers through his hair. It’d be the perfect length to do so. He imagined Keith waking up with an adorable yawn, blinking open his mysterious purple-grey eyes. Lance got so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize that Keith had actually woken up. And was staring back at him. Lance blushed.  
“Oh, you’re awake!” Lance said, certainly not squeaked. Keith gave him a look, then gave a sleepy yawn. He picked himself up and hopped off the couch. He padded towards the door, probably off to find Shiro. Lance just stayed frozen on the couch,thoughts clouded with his new realization. He had a crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I decided that I need to get this story moving along! Time to throw is a little pinning, because I can. XD


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a talk with Shiro, finds Allura in the kitchen, and a distress signal is sent.

Keith found Shiro in his room. The man in question was cleaning his prosthetic, as even though he didn't always like the metal arm (his constant reminder of captivity) he believed in taking care of his possessions.  
"Hey, Keith," Shiro said, pausing in his work. Keith sat in front of him and gave a frustrated meow. "Buddy, I don't speak cat." Keith looked at the floor, a tired huff escaping him. How could he complain to Shiro about his odd feelings? When he'd woken up to find Lance staring at him, he'd panicked a bit and went looking for Shiro to complain to. Clearly, he wasn't thinking.  
"Mrrow," Keith said. He put his head on Shiro's knee. Shiro gave him a small smile.  
"Tired of being a cat?" he guessed. Keith nodded. That was true, just not what he wanted to talk about. Keith lifted his head and went to Shiro's closet. He knew that Shiro had a set of Altean pajamas. Those were that same light blue color of the castle lights. He finally found the shirt and tugged it over to Shiro. Keith pawed at it, trying to make Shiro understand.  
"Mew," Keith said. Shiro frowned.  
"Are you still tired?" he guessed. Keith shook his head. He pawed at it again, more forcefully.  
"Mrrow!" he insisted. Shiro continued to frown, until a light seemed to go off in his head.  
"Is this about Lance?" he said. Keith nodded. "What happened?" Keith shrugged, then raised a paw to scratch at his neck sheepishly, or as sheepishly as he could being a cat. Shiro seemed to understand, however, as a sly smirk appeared on his face. "You wouldn't happen to LIKE him, now would you?" Keith let out a warning hiss. Shiro laughed.  
"MRROW!" Keith complained. Shiro's laughter finally died off.  
"I won't tell him," he said. "But it's cute. Lance seems to have feelings for you too, but I'm not him. When you're human again, ask him." Keith huffed but nodded. Shiro gave him a gentle smile. "I know how much effort it takes for you to let someone get close to you. I don't doubt Lance will be good for you." Keith's tail twitched, but whether it was from happiness or irritation, Shiro couldn't tell. Keith stood up, leaving the pajama shirt on the floor, and walked out. He heard Shiro yelling behind him, something about not leaving stuff all over his floor. Serves him right for initially laughing at Keith.  
Further down the hall, Keith saw Lance stepping into Hunk's room. The door slid shut behind him. Curious, Keith padded over. He put his ear against the door, but he couldn't hear them talking. Either they were speaking in hushed tones, or they were too far away from the door for Keith to hear. Suddenly, Keith backed away, like he'd been burned. Why was he eavesdropping?! That was a new low. Keith scampered off to the kitchen before he could be caught. He had no idea what prompted that sort of behavior, and he didn't particularly want to find out. That was totally uncalled for and it left Keith in a bit of a panic.  
Once at the kitchen, he found Allura sitting at the table, talking to the mice. The mice raced away at the sight of Keith. They still hadn't forgiven him for chasing them. Keith hopped up onto a chair next to Allura.  
"Hello, Keith," she said. "Is something the matter?" Keith shook his head. He didn't want to worry her. Allura sighed. "While I've enjoyed the break from the Galra, I'm getting worried." Keith cocked his head at that.  
"Mew?" he asked.  
"It's just been too quiet," she said. "I just hope they aren't planning something." Keith nodded. That made sense. Of course, right at that moment, the alarms went off. Allura pulled out a datapad Keith hadn't noticed before, and spoke into it. "Paladins, to the bridge!" She raced from the kitchen, Keith hot in her heels.  
Everyone was waiting for them at the bridge.  
"Princess, what happened?" Shiro asked.  
"I tempted fate," she said. "A distress signal from a nearby planet has gone off. It appears to be under attack from a Galra cruiser." Lance groaned.  
"Perfect," he said. "Just what we need when we're down a Paladin." Keith growled at him.  
"If it's just the one cruiser," Pidge said. "We should be able to manage. Heck, we've seen Blue take out a cruiser by herself before."  
"That's true," Hunk added. "I'm sure it'll be fine." Keith wasn't sure who they were trying to reassure, but he still admired their attempts.  
"Then Paladins, get to your Lions!" Allura called. Keith watched as the other four Paladins raced to their respective hangars. Keith sat next to Allura. If he couldn't participate, then at least he was gonna help keep watch. Allura gripped the castle controls. "I just hope this isn't a trap."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! I've been crazy busy and stressed so updating has been on the back burner.😅 
> 
> But hey! We got some cute Allura and Keith fluff. I feel like those two never really interact, like ever, so here ya go! Hopefully nothing bad happens next chapter.😏


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle begins

Lance was getting a bit miffed, to put it lightly. This cruiser was giving them a run for their money. The particle barrier around it was unrelenting and frankly, annoying.  
"We can't make a dent!" Hunk yelled over the comms. Lance watched as Yellow slammed into the barrier.  
"Pidge, what's different about this particle barrier?" Shiro shouted.  
"I don't know!" Pidge said, clearly stressed. Lance fired his lasers at the cruiser. A few fighters shot at him, but Lance just swerved out of the way. He was getting tired of dodging. Suddenly, a fighter came out of nowhere and slammed into Blue.  
"Ah!" Lance yelled, spiraling towards the cruiser. He was gonna try and hit the cruiser, so he at least wouldn't crash into the planet below.  
"Lance!" Hunk yelled. Lance gripped the controls. Another fighter crashed into him. Lance slammed his head against the front panel this time. Just before he blacked out, he saw a part of the particle barrier open below him. Then, darkness took him.

Keith was frantic. He saw the barrier open as Blue fell through. Lance had stopped responding over the comms.  
"MRROW!" Keith yowled, wishing more than ever he was human again. He raced to Red's hanger, Allura yelling behind him. Keith didn't stop. The hanger doors opened for him, Red sitting patiently before him. Please, Red, he thought. The Lion didn't respond. Keith growled in frustration. Suddenly, a clang came from the hall behind him.  
"Quiet, you idiot!" a voice hissed. Keith crouched near the door, ready to pounce. At least he had claws he could put to use. Two Galra soldiers came into the hanger. Keith pounced.  
"Ah!" the one Keith attacked yelled out, falling to the floor. The other, however, was fast. He grabbed Keith by the scruff of his neck. Keith yowled in pain.  
"Got him!" he said. Keith hissed and tried to swipe his claws at the offending hands holding him.  
"Haggar will be pleased that her little invention works," the Galra on the floor said, an evil from pulling at his mouth. Allura came rushing in at that moment.  
"Keith!" she yelled. She held a long pole in her hands, prepared to fight. The Galra holding Keith moved him so Allura was blocked by him.  
"Go on and try," the Galra said. "Attack and your friend dies." Allura faltered. The soldier on the floor then got up and pointed his blaster at Allura.  
"Sorry, Princess," he said. "But we have orders." With that, they turned and sprinted down another hallway. Keith kept snarling at them. The grip on his scruff really hurt now.  
"Shut up," the Galra holding him said. He pinched the back of Keith's neck, and the next thing he knew, he was blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes. All the angst. Why should I settle for one person when I can give angst to two? 😏 Keith and Lance are in for some more angst up ahead, so be prepared.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making some new friends! And escaping!

Keith woke up disoriented. He first noticed that one side of him was pretty cold, while the other side was comfortably warm. He inched his eyes open. The first thing he saw was the door to a Galran cell. Well, that solved the mystery as to where he was, and why it was so chilly on his one side. But why was his other side so warm?  
“Mmph,” someone groaned behind him. Keith turned his head, only to come face-to-face with Lance, who was snuggling him. Keith realized that if HE was cold, Lance must be freezing. No wonder he’s clinging to his fur so tightly.  
“Mew?” Keith said softly. Lance snuggled impossibly closer. Keith gave a light hiss as Lance’s fingers pulled too roughly at his fur. That roused the other boy.  
“Keith?” he asked. He noticed he was snuggling the cat, but didn’t pull away, as he became consciously aware of the freezing cell they were in. “Where are we?” Keith stared at him, as if to say, I don’t know either, idiot. A sudden bang came from the cell door.  
“Wake up, Voltron scum,” a voice said. The door opened and the large Galra that Keith had knocked to the floor earlier came into the cell. “Get up.” Keith rose, dislodging Lance’s fingers from his fur. Lance shivered, the cold air now hitting his exposed front. He stood, wrapping his arms around him to try and keep warm. Keith admitted to himself that his one side was now very cold as well, and he had fur.  
“W-where are we going?” Lance asked, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. Keith brushed against his leg. It wasn’t much, but Keith hoped it helped. The Galra ignored Lance and turned to walk out the door.  
“This way,” he said. Lance and Keith exchanged a glance. No handcuffs? That seemed suspicious, but the two followed after the Galra. They raced to catch up, and Lance noticed it was a tad warmer in the hallway, compared to the cell they just left.  
“Mrrow?” Keith asked quietly up at the Galra.  
“Quiet!” he hissed, looking around. He ducked into an open doorway, Lance and Keith following him. “We must be careful.”  
“Who are you?” Lance asked, once the door slid shut again. The Galra faced them.  
“My name is Burtik,” he said. “I’m a spy for the Blade of Marmora. When I heard of Haggar’s plans, I relayed them to Kolivan and was tasked with retrieving the Red Paladin before the plans could be put in motion. Now it seems I must rescue you as well, Blue Paladin.”  
“Well, that’s a relief,” Lance said with an audible sigh. “Glad to know we are getting rescued.”  
“Mrrow!” Keith insisted. He wanted to know about the plans Haggar had for him. Burtik seemed to understand, somehow.  
“You want to know Haggar’s plans?” he asked. Keith nodded. “Very well. The device you found was created to change their spies into a different form, much like Altean shapeshifting, but more advanced. The effects would wear off eventually, but it would give the spies enough time to get the information they needed without being detected. When Haggar found out the device was stolen by the Paladins, she immediately checked the security cameras around the room it had been in, discovering what had happened to the Red Paladin. She planned to torture you for information.” Lance and Keith stared at him.  
“Good thing we took that device then,” Lance said nervously. Keith whined in agreement. He had no plans to be tortured today, thanks very much. Burtik nodded.  
“Indeed,” he said. “It will set Haggar back months. Kolivan is in the process of planning a separate mission to steal the plans to make another device, but for now, we must hurry. The Blue Lion is being held in a secluded hangar.” Lance nodded.  
“Right,” he said. “How do we get there?”  
“I’ll show you,” Burtik said. “After this, my cover will be blown, so I will come with you. I will leave for the Blade soon after.” Lance nodded again.  
“Lead on, my man,” he said. Keith rolled his eyes and headbutted Lance’s leg affectionatly. Lance’s face went a bit pink. Burtik led them out the door and down several hallways.  
“Just a bit further,” he said. “As soon as I open the hangar doors, we run. The alarm will sound, so we must hurry.”  
“Just another day for the Paladins of Voltron, right Keith?” Lance said. Keith mewed.  
“Get ready,” Burtik said. He stopped in front of a large door, then pressed the button. That’s when everything went south.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm not dead! You know, in case any of you were worried.
> 
> Sorry this took so long to update, I've been stupid busy. I know it's short but fear not! More is to come! I will never abandon my works.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape time!

Burtik grabbed Keith’s scruff and hauled him out of the way as Lance open fired on the Galra sentries standing guard, clearly waiting for them.  
“What the quiznack?!” Lance yelled, downing each sentry with perfect headshots. “Was this a set up?”  
“I do not know,” Burtik said, drawing out his Marmora blade. “But we must be quick. The Blue Lion is on the other side of the hangar.” He finally let go of Keith’s scruff. Lance shot the last sentry and the three sprinted towards the end of the hanar.  
“And where do you think you’re going?” a cold voice rasped from above. Keith nearly stopped in his tracks at it, but he knew they had to escape and frankly, wasn’t curious to figure out who the voice belonged to, although he had a terrible hunch who it was.  
“Keep going!” Burtik yelled, stopping and swinging around.  
“We aren’t going to leave you!” Lance yelled back, slowing down a bit.  
“For the sake of the mission, you will!” Burtik growled, raising his sword in front of himself. Keith ran into Lance’s knees, urging him forward.  
“MRROW!” Keith yowled, desperately trying to get his point across. Oh how he wished he could use words again. Lance made a face, then turned and ran towards Blue, Keith hot on his heels. Blue instantly lowered her barrier and opened her mouth for them.  
“Stop!” the voice hissed, far closer than Keith felt comfortable with. He knew that voice. It was Haggar herself.  
“Run!” Lance screamed, launching himself into Blue. Keith nearly made it, but something….no, someONE grabbed him from behind.  
“Mrrow!” Keith yelled in a panic (also, that yowl was supposed to be Lance’s name, but Keith forgot he was still a cat. Internally, he smacked himself on the forehead for how dumb he was).  
“KEITH!” Lance screamed, bringing Blue to life. Keith twisted in his captor’s hold, swiping his claws at their hands. He glimpsed a dark hood when he turned. It was Haggar who had him.  
“Mew!” Keith said. He really didn’t want to be tortured today, and when he brought his claws down, there was a satisfying hiss of pain from Haggar. Her grip loosened, but she didn’t release him. Lance brought Blue’s paw down near them, but Haggar simply teleported them a few feet away from the massive paw. Suddenly, she dropped Keith.  
“GO!” Burtik yelled. It seemed that haggar had forgotten about the Marmoran, all her attention on getting Keith. Keith raced over to Blue, who lowered her head to let him inside. Lance flew Blue out of the hangar.  
Once they were far enough away from the Galra cruiser, Keith sat by Lance’s feet, drawing a little comfort from his teammate. Then he noticed Lance’s shaking. Keith looked up and his heart broke. Lance had silent tears streaming down his face.  
“Mew?” Keith asked quietly. Lance took a shuddering breath.  
“We left him,” Lance said in a near whisper. “I get that the Galra are all about victory or death or whatever, but….” His hands shook so bad, Blue finally pulled his chair back and took control. Lance buried his face in his hands. Keith put his front paws on Lance’s knees, nudging his head and urging him to look up. Lance did. Then, Keith did something he will forever deny. He leaned forward and licked Lance’s cheek.  
“K-Keith?” Lance said, eyes wide with shock. Keith sat back, studying Lance’s red face. He was IMMENSELY glad that the fur hid his own blush.  
“M-mew,” Keith said, bashfully. Or, as bashful as a cat could get. Lance gave him a watery smirk, his tears having finally slowed.  
“You like me?” he asked. Keith gave him a slow nod. Lance slid off his chair and onto the floor so he was eye level with Keith. “I like you too.” Keith let a VERY happy purr out. Lance chuckled and gave him a scratch behind the ears. “Hurry up and change back already so I can kiss you.” Keith’s purr grew louder at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there went Burtik. BUT KLANCE CONFESSION YAY!<3
> 
> I have a feeling there aren't going to be many chapters of Kitty Cat left to write! But fear not! It will have a fabulous end and I will have more works for you to enjoy! But for now, I hope you are excited for the next chapter!! XD


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good news for Keith!

They made it back to the castle in one piece. Blue settled happily in her hangar, while the other Paladins rushed them.  
"Thank quiznack!" Allura said, hugging Lance tightly. She reached down and placed her forehead against Keith's as well, which he supposed was in place of a hug.  
"What happened?" Pidge asked. "We were getting ready to come get you when we saw Blue on her way back." Lance sighed, glancing at Keith.  
"Mew," Keith said, encouragingly. As much as he wanted to tell the story in Lance's place, that was a bit impossible at the moment. Lance took a deep breath, then recounted the recent events for the others.  
One he finished, everyone was silent. Allura was the first to speak.  
"I'm sorry to hear about Burtik," she said. "But I am glad that the Blade of Marmora was there. Pidge, Hunk, do we still need that machine to help Keith?"  
"Technically, no," Hunk said. "If we can get one more reading off of it, Pidge and I can destroy it."  
"Yeah," Pidge confirmed. "And if Kolivon already has plans to get the blueprints, then there's no need to worry about another machine in the future."  
"Sounds good," Shiro said. "But what's the last reading for?"  
"Oh," Hunk said. "Well, with the way Keith's been transforming back, we want to get a better idea of how long that will be. My guess is probably not much longer."  
"Mrrow!" Keith said in excitement. He was DONE being a cat. Lance laughed.  
"Aw, but I like Kitten Keith!" he teased. Keith gave him a light hiss, but head-butted him. This just made Lance laugh more.  
"Ok!" Pidge said. "Let's do that reading now, then we can destroy it!" Keith liked that idea. Very much.  
Keith followed Hunk and Pidge to the training deck, while Lance went to get some food with Shiro (aka making sure Shiro didn't burn anything down in the kitchen). Pidge had him sit in front of the device. Keith tried not to squirm. Now that he knew the pointed end wouldn't transform him further, he relaxed a bit, but he still really hated this machine. Pidge was silent for a few minutes pressing buttons, then the green light passed over him. Hunk looked at the reading.  
"Great news!" he said. Keith cocked his head to the side in question. "One more shot and then the transformation will fade naturally in a few days!" Keith's tail flicked happily at that.  
"Wait, a few days?" Pidge asked. She smirked. "Does that mean it'll happen in stages?"  
"Maybe?" Hunk said with a shrug. Keith honestly could care less. Any bit of human resemblance would be fine by him. He raced out of the room, heading to the kitchen to inform Lance.  
Once at the kitchen, he realized he couldn't actually TELL Lance the good news, but he decided to show him his excitement instead. Maybe the message would get across.  
"MRROW!" Keith yowled happily, launching himself at Lance, who was sitting down eating some fruit.  
"OOF!" Lance said. He pried Keith off of him a bit to look at him better. "So I take it there was some good news for you?" Keith nodded. Pidge and Hunk came running in then.  
"Glad…. you're excited," Pidge wheezed. "But…..next time….SLOW DOWN." Keith rolled his eyes while Lance laughed.  
"Where's Shiro?" Hunk asked. "I thought he came with you?"  
"I banned him after he nearly burned some space cereal. CEREAL. How do you even burn that?!" Lance said. Hunk laughed.  
"Man, that sounds like an adventure," he said, grabbing a piece of fruit for himself. "Anyway, about destroying the machine, we're thinking of hitting it with our bayards. Wanna join us?"  
"Mrrow!" Keith said.  
"Buddy, you can't exactly hold a sword like that," Lance said. Keith batted at his leg, annoyed. "Oh, do you just want to watch?" Keith nodded. He was not missing the destruction of that monstrosity. Pidge laughed.  
"Fair enough," she said. "Well, let's get to it!" The four of them headed back to the training deck. Keith sat by the door to watch. The other three pulled out their bayards.  
"Ok, here's what I'm thinking," Hunk said. "Pidge should strike it first a few times, then I'll hit it with a few blasts, then Lance takes the kill shot. Sound good?"  
"Perfect plan buddy," Lance said. Pidge nodded her agreement. She swiped at the machine, cutting off the drill looking bit and adding a few slash marks. She stepped back as Hunk blasted a could dozen holes into the hole thing. Then, Lance took careful aim, fired a shot and the whole machine exploded beautifully. Keith had never been happier to see a pile of ash and rubble.  
"We should steal Galra tech more often," Pidge said. "Because that was fun."  
"Too bad we won't get another chance to blow up a machine like this," Lance said. "Not once those blueprints are stolen."  
"Doesn't matter," Pidge said. "Sentries are just as fun to watch explode." Lance laughed. Keith bounded over. Then, he did something completely unexpected. He started rubbing his head against Lance's legs, weaving around them and purring happily. Don't ask why he did it, he couldn't tell you.  
"Aw!" Hunk said. "I'm gonna miss Keith as a cat. He does the cutest things sometimes!" Keith stopped purring and hid behind Lance's legs. Lance gave his ear a scratch.  
"Don't worry cariño," he said. "You're cute no matter what." Keith gave him a light hiss, to which Lance just chuckled at.  
A few hours (and one last horrible shot) later, Keith found himself laying on top of Lance in his room. It wasn't as easy as the first time he had done this, but it was more satisfying. Lance was completely squished beneath him.  
"Comfy?" Lance asked. Keith nodded, yawning. "Good, 'cause I'm not." Keith just flicked an ear at him, indicating he heard, but did not care. Lance sighed happily and ran his fingers through Keith's fur, tracing the bumps of his spine. Keith purred, eyes slipping closed.  
"Mew," he said, his version of goodnight.  
"Sleep well, mi amore," Lance said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes.....stages.😏 I am excited to write them. It also drags out this fic a little more and honestly? I don't want it to end just yet.
> 
> But oh. Destroying that machine WAS satisfying.😂


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's back!.......sorta.😅

Keith woke up to a scream. Well, not a SCREAM, but more like a startled shout. Still, it was LOUD on his still sensitive ears.  
"Shuddup," he slurred, snuggling back into the blankets. Then his brain caught up to the situation. "I can talk!" Keith sat up fully now. He was still laying on top of Lance, who looked like he was trying not to laugh.  
"Uh, Keith?" he said. "As happy as I am to hear your voice again and to see you…. you're not really….YOU yet." Keith frowned, but then saw something move in the corner of his eye. It was his tail. He was a freaking half-cat.  
"Oh come on!" he said, jumping off of the bed. He ran to the bathroom to examine himself. The most noticeable features were the tail and his ears, which were still pointed and fluffy. The rest of him had returned to normal, although he realized his eyesight seemed a bit better than usual and he still had his claws. His canines weren't quite fangs, but they were pretty close. At least he could speak again.  
"Hey, Kitten," Lance said, coming up behind him. Keith looked over at him, only to see Lance had his eyes shut. That was when Keith realized he wasn't wearing clothes.  
"Crap!" he said. "I'm gonna steal your clothes. No way am I going to walk to my room like this." Lance chuckled, stepping away to make sure he didn't run into Keith.  
"Man it is good to hear your voice again," Lance said. Keith had tugged on some black pants and a white shirt. His tail felt awkward in the pants, but he'd figure that out later.  
"You're telling me," Keith said. "You can open your eyes now." Lance did, then cooed.  
"Aw, you're still so adorable," he said, reaching up to scratch at Keith's ears. Keith let out a purr. Lovely, so he could still do that. Lance squealed.  
"Okay, okay!" Keith said, face flushing. Lance just leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. Keith stood a bit shocked.  
"I didn't forget about our little moment in Blue, Kitten," he said, grinning. Keith huffed fondly.  
"Well good," he said. "But stop calling me Kitten."  
"But you are a kitten," Lance said, kissing Keith before he could protest. Keith melted, any argument he had dying on his tongue.  
"You're the worst," Keith said, breathless the minute they pulled away. Lance grabbed his hand.  
"Ready to freak out the others?" he asked. Keith just smiled.

"Ah," Pidge said upon seeing Keith. "Stages."  
"Wow," Hunk said. "I mean, I knew this was gonna happen, but just. Wow."  
"I like the tail," Shiro commented, not seeming phased. Keith just glowered a bit.  
"At least I'm mostly human again," he said. "And I missed talking."  
"I bet," Pidge said. "None of us spoke cat, so we missed you talking too."  
"Shut it, gremlin," Lance said, no heat behind his words. Pidge ignored him, but didn't comment again. Keith turned to Allura.  
"Is there a way my tail can fit more comfortably in my pants?" he asked. "Because as great as it feels to wear pants again, this is annoying." Allura thought for a moment.  
"Well, there are two options," she said. "The first is to just wrap your tail around yourself. Or you could just cut a hole in some pants for now. We can stop at the space mall quick, see if we can find something already like that."  
"Please," Keith said. His tail twitched slightly. Pidge leaned down to examine it.  
"So you can still control it?" she asked, ghosting a hand over it. Keith could still feel her hand and shuddered as she brushed the fur the wrong way.  
"Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "So could you PLEASE stop touching it?" Pidge pulled back, her hands up in surrender. Lance laughed.  
"He still purrs too," he said. And before Keith could stop him, Lance reached up and scratched his ears. Keith instantly relaxed and started to purr.  
"You just can't help being cute, can you?" Shiro teased, which caught Keith off-guard. He was sure Pidge was going to tease him, not his brother.  
"I will end you," he said, but it sounded funny around his purring as Lance was still giving him ear scratches.  
"Don't worry," Hunk said. "This stage should only last about a week. Then you'll be back to normal!"  
"Aw," Lance said. "I sorta like this stage." Keith's ear flicked his hand in annoyance, but didn't pull away. This was going to be an interesting week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmm, yes. More adventures to come.😂 At least Keith can talk again! Woohoo!
> 
> I love reading your comments, so leave them down below! 
> 
> And check out my (sadly empty for now) Reddit page, where you can post art and story suggestions if you want! (No commissions, sorry!😅): https://www.reddit.com/u/Fantasy_Addict_Fics?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance have a chat.

"Hey, Red," he said. "I can't wait to fly you again." Red purred in his mind. Keith chuckled. "I feel like I should say 'good kitty', but I'm not sure how to make that less awkward." He could feel Red's amusement at that.  
"Well, you are both good kitties," Lance said, coming up behind Keith and scratching his ear. Keith let out a small purr.  
"I will allow only YOU to call me 'Kitten'," he said around his purr.  
"I knew you liked it," Lance said, pausing his scritches to wrap an arm around Keith's waist. He resumed the ear scratches.  
"And I will never admit that," Keith said smiling. He moved his tail to wrap around one of Lance's legs, while his arms came to rest atop Lance's on his waist.  
"You wanna head to the space mall?" Lance asked. "We've got time."  
"Later," Keith said, leaning back into Lance more. "Right now, I just want to snuggle." Lance laughed.  
"Fair enough," he said. "My room?" Keith nodded, reluctantly untangling himself from Lance. Then he paused.  
"What are we?" he asked. Lance frowned.  
"What do you mean?" he asked, grabbing Keith's hands. He rubbed his thumbs across the backs in an effort to soothe. Keith sighed a bit.  
"I mean," he said. "Are we dating? Like….are you my boyfriend?" He looked into Lance's eyes hopefully. Lance grinned.  
"Do you want to be?" he asked. "Because I've been calling you my boyfriend in my head since this morning." Keith beamed, then pulled Lance into a kiss. He could hear Red's approving purr in the back of his mind, while a pleased purr emitted from his own throat.  
"I can't believe you're my boyfriend," Keith said, pulling away finally. Lance pecked him on the nose.  
"Believe it, Kitten," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. But I'm a bit under the weather today, so I needed some fluff. At least Red approves.😂💕


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A DATE?!
> 
> Also, thank you to Imtooinvested_but_ohwell for the suggestion of them working out who confessed first and the "furry debate". 😂

Today was the day. The shopping trip. Allura had wormholed them to the nearest space mall and Keith could not WAIT to get some more comfortable clothes.  
"This just means I can play with your tail more often," Lance said.  
"Don't get your hopes up," Keith said. "This is only lasting for about a week, remember?" Lance sighed.  
"Right," he said. Then a thought occurred to him. "Wait….am I a furry now?" Keith looked at him surprised.  
"Come again?" he asked.  
"Think about it," Lance said. "I'm totally attracted to your cat ears and tail. How could I NOT be a furry?"  
"Lance, I don't think you're a furry," Keith said. "Mainly because I'm not actually a nekojin."  
"A what?" Lance asked.  
"You know," Keith said. "A cat person."  
"You are such a nerd," Lance said, scratching Keith behind an ear. Keith purred softly.  
"Your nerd," he said softly. "I'm glad I confessed." Lance paused at that.  
"What about my confession?" he asked. "When I first called you cariño?" Keith frowned at him.  
"What does that even mean?" he asked.  
"It's a term of endearment," Lance explained. "Like, honey, babe, sugar, love-"  
"I get it!" Keith said, face going red. "I didn't realize that was a confession."  
"I didn't really plan on it being one," Lance admitted. "It sort of slipped out, but I knew it was the right thing to say."  
"We're here!" Allura said, pulling the boys from their conversation.  
"Finally!" Pidge yelled, Hunk nodding in agreement.  
"New clothes," Keith said, already racing towards the mall. He had snagged Lance's hand and dragged him along behind. They came across a store with clothes that looked like they were made for all sorts of aliens.  
"Slow down, samurai," Lance laughed. "Why don't we both take a half of the store, see if we can find anything?"  
"Sounds like a plan," Keith said, reluctantly letting go of Lance's hand so they could split up for the moment.

A few minutes later, both had a few articles of clothing that Keith tried on. He ended up with three new pairs of pants and a beanie to hide his ears if he so chose.  
"Looking good, hotstuff," Lance grinned. Keith rolled his eyes, but had a small smile on his face.  
"Whatever," he muttered fondly. Lance led Keith back out of the store.  
"Let's get food, I'm starving," Lance said.  
"We could always settle for food goo?" Keith said.  
"Why do that when there is ACTUAL food here?" Lance quipped back.  
"Fair point," Keith conceded.  
They found a good court and just ordered things that looked vaguely familiar. At least the drinks were good. Keith's tasted like strawberries, while Lance claimed his tasted like blueberries. Both drinks looked like sewage, but after the first tentative taste, both glasses where empty in minutes.  
"Hey," Keith asked suddenly, turning to Lance. "Is this a date?" Lance considered his words.  
"Do you want it to be?" Lance asked. Keith nodded, causing Lance to beam. "Well, is it a good one?"  
"It's nice," Keith said. "Although, I've never been on a date, so I don't know what a good or bad one is like." Lance gasped, then kissed his nose.  
"Well, I'm glad I'm your first," he said. "Because now no one else can sweep you off your feet. I've already ruined all other dates by other people with my charm alone." Keith snorted.  
"I won't want anyone else anyway," he said, kissing Lance's cheek.

They met up with the rest of the group later.  
"Find everything you need?" Allura asked.  
"Yup," Keith said, side-eyeing Lance fondly. Lance's cheeks pinked.  
"I don't know about you," he said. "But I'm down to cuddle!"  
"Cuddling sounds nice," Keith said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ill, it's late, so I wrote fluff. 🥰😂 (No I'm not still ill from the last chapter. It just occurred to me I was under the weather when I wrote that too.😂)


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More cuddles....and Lance finds out a secret.😂

A few days later, Lance and Keith were found cuddled together in the lounge. Lance idly stroked Keith's ears, causing the boy to purr lightly.  
"They're so fuzzy," Lance muttered. "And I never realized how soft your hair is." Keith smiled sleepily.  
"And yet you still tease me about it," he said, flicking his tail lightly onto Lance's ankle. Lance scoffed.  
"It's a mullet, how can I not?" he said. Keith sat up, looking his boyfriend in the eyes.  
"I love you," he said suddenly. Lance gaped at him.  
"W-what brought this on?" he asked carefully, setting his hands on Keith's waist in a reassuring manner.  
"Instinct," Keith said, smiling. He leaned over to peck Lance on the lips. Lance smiled back.  
"I love you too," he said. Suddenly the doors whooshed open.  
"Ew! Oh, please tell me you two didn't defile the couch!" Pidge yelled. Lance laughed while Keith blushed. He was mad he didn't have fur to hide that anymore.  
"No, Pidge," Lance said. "Strictly PG stuff in here."  
"Good," she said, sitting across from them. "I did not want to hunt down the space equivalent of Clorox and bleach the room." Keith shuffled so he was cuddled into Lance's side better.  
"Did you need something?" he asked, voice a bit wobbly because Lance started to scratch his ear again, causing him to purr. Pidge tried not to smirk.  
"Just wanted to see if you were back to normal yet," she said.  
"Not yet," Keith said, eyes starting to close as Lance rubbed a particularly good spot on his head. "That it?"  
"For now," Pidge said, standing. "You two are too sappy for your own good." With that she left them again. Lance chuckled.  
"Don't want to share me, huh?" he asked. Keith just hummed, a puddle of goo under his boyfriend's magic fingers. "You still gonna like when I do this, after you go back to normal?"  
"100% yes," Keith said, leaning into Lance's touch a bit more. His fingers had wandered down his neck and we're currently tracing a path down his spine. It felt nice. Suddenly, a tingle went shooting up his back, making him gasp.  
"What happened?" Lance asked, idly stroking the base of Keith's tail. Keith squirmed, flicking his tail.  
"L-Lance, could, uh...." he said, blushing hard. "M-my tail is….REALLY sensitive there…." Lance frowned, then noticed where his fingers were.  
"Oh! Sorry!" he said, snatching his hand away like he'd been burned. Keith giggled.  
"It's fine," he said. "It didn't hurt….I felt good. A little TOO good." Lance blushed.  
"Oh," he said. Then he too started to giggle. "Well, darn. Wish I would have found that sooner. You'll probably go back in a day or two and lose it."  
"I hope so," Keith said. "Can't have you taking advantage of me."  
"As if," Lance countered. "I'm a perfect gentleman."  
"Yes you are," Keith said, kissing him again.

The team may or may not have walked in on a make out session. Right before Lance brushed his hand over Keith's tail again and caused the boy to chase after him in retaliation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter was short!!! I promise the last one will be longer! Speaking of, there's only one chapter left! I know, I'm sad too, but all good things must come to an end!😊
> 
> Please leave a kudos and a comment, I love reading them!🥰


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith returns.

Keith woke up the next day feeling warm. A good warm, not like, sick warm. He inched open his eyes to find himself cuddle next to Lance…..in the lounge.  
"Mmh?" Lance groaned, feeling Keith shift as the boy tried to remember why they fell asleep on the couch.  
"Lance?" Keith asked quietly. Lance sighed.  
"Sleeping," he mumbled. Keith chuckled.  
"Lance get up," he said. "We fell asleep on the couch." Lance slowly opened his eyes.  
"Oh," he said. "Right, we were making out….and then passed out."  
"Is that what happened?" Keith asked, propping himself up on Lance's chest.  
"Sure is," Lance said, smiling. Keith leaned down and gave his boyfriend a small kiss.  
"Well now it's time to face the day," he said, moving to get up. Suddenly, Lance gasped and grabbed Keith's arm.  
"You're…. you're YOU again!" he said. Keith's eyes widened, hands flying up to the top of his head, twisting to look behind him.  
"Holy quiznack," Keith muttered, awed. "I'm….back. I'm back!" His face split into a grin.  
"We gotta tell the others!" Lance said. Both boys sprinted from the room.  
"Whoa!" Pidge said, coming out of the kitchen. "Where's the fire?"  
"Get everyone to the bridge, pronto!" Lance said, Keith speeding ahead.  
"Uh, sure," Pidge said. A few minutes later, Pidge, Hunk, Shiro and Allura found themselves on the bridge with Lance.  
"What's going on?" Shiro asked. Lance just grinned and pointed to the Red Paladin's chair. Keith stood up from where he had been sitting. Hunk gasped.  
"Normal Keith is back!" he said happily, pulling a chuckle from Keith.  
"I'm glad to be back," he said. Allura clapped her hands!  
"So much good news in one day!" she said.  
"What do you mean, Princess?" Lance asked.  
"Well, shortly before Pidge came to get me, Kolivan sent a message saying they had successfully retrieved the plans for the device," Allura said. "They plan to destroy them, so no worries of another one being built."  
"Thank quiznack," Keith said, causing the others to laugh. They slowly filtered out of the room then, leaving Lance and Keith alone. Lance walked over and put his hands on Keith's very much human ears.  
"Shame," he said. "I'm gonna miss the purring. And the tail." He added the last bit with a smirk. Keith blushed.  
"Shut it, you," he said with no heat. Lance scratched behind his ear. A noise startled them both. It was a purr.  
"No way," Lance said.  
"Um…." Keith said.  
"Are you not fully back?" Lance asked.  
"I am!" Keith said. His blush darkened. "I've uh…..always been able to purr?" Lance gaped.  
"WHAT?!" he yelled. "And you never told me?"  
"It never came up!" Keith said. Lance sighed, but grinned.  
"Well, I'm totally taking advantage of this now," he said, scratching Keith's ear again. The purring grew.  
"I hate you," Keith mumbled with a sigh. Lance chuckled.  
"Sure you do," he said, finally pulling his hand away to instead settle on Keith's lower back. Keith sucked in a breath.  
"Crap," he whispered. Lance frowned.  
"What?" he asked. Then he noticed where his hand was and grinned, drawing small circles on the spot. Keith shivered.  
"I REALLY hate you," Keith said, stepping away. Lance just laughed.  
"I'm so glad that spot remained," he said. "Teasing you is just too much fun."  
"Oh really?" Keith asked. Suddenly, he lunged at Lance, knocking to the floor.  
"Oof!" Lance said. "I miss you being a small kitten. You weren't so heavy!"  
"Hey!" Keith laughing, swatting his boyfriend. "You love this."  
"Got me there," Lance said. He pulled Keith down for a kiss.  
"I love you, Kitten," Lance said. Keith rolled his eyes.  
"I love you too, jerk," he said. They kissed again. And they had never been happier.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! It's done! 😭💕
> 
> Thank you everyone so much for the support! I never thought this work would take off the way it did. This has certainly been an adventure and I'm glad I got to share it with all of you.🥰
> 
> More works to come, I promise!😆 And please let me know all your thoughts on this! I love reading them!💕

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen other works with a purring Keith.....and then this wouldn't leave my head.😂


End file.
